Apple goes Intel and Open Source

The fruit company dropped some bombs and they were not even related to music industry. Steven Jobs told the audience at Apple Computer's Worldwide Developer Conference that Apple would be switching to hardware based on Intel chips. This will definitely be a huge blow to some Apple fanatics, but only a detail with little impact to the regular clueless Mac user.

But once again this makes me really wonder is Apple slowly aiming their guns towards Microsoft Windows? This has been speculated for quite some time, and again it seems to one step closer. And even the hard core PC/Windows users must admit that the OS X is a damn fine operating system.

Jobs said on Monday that the company would begin incorporating Intel chips in some Macs reaching the market next year and largely complete the changeover by 2007. For the transition, Apple will bring out a version of its operating system, Macintosh OS X Tiger, that will run on both IBM and Intel chips.

In addition, Apple has opened up their open source strategy. Apple's primary web browser, The Safari, is based on the KHTML browser engine of the Linux/KDE Konquerror. The KDE developers have not been too pleased about the way Apple has participated to the open source developement. But now Apple has decided to open the source code of Safari and therefore contribute to the developement.

Developers of the KHTML browser engine, which Apple selected more than two years ago as the basis of its Safari browser, in recent months complained that Apple was taking more from their open-source project than it was contributing to it.

Now Apple may have succeeded in mollifying those volunteers with the launch Monday of the WebKit Open Source Project amid a revamp of its open-source practices.

"The Safari team is proud to announce that we are making significant changes in the way we operate, and these changes start today," David Hyatt, an Apple engineer on the Safari project

I don't believe that Apple will allow their OS to run on just any x86 machine. I believe they are going to tie it in to the BIOS or something. They build their own motherboards now and I don't think that they will adopt anyone else's board or an Intel board. So from what I can see they will be getting a chip and building the rest of their guts around it. It'll be interesting to see what happens. I use both Apple and Windows machines. Each architecture has its advantages and the PowerPC with its RISC based architecture was very good. Only time will tell now.

First let it be known that I am enjoying this article. I am laughing so hard I can barley type. To translate this article would be to simply say Apple is selling out and giving into the competition. Now I admit it is a kind of smart move for Apple since their current way of doing things is killing them. But this is also a stupid move for apple to become compatible with the very system (x86) they have been making fun of the past few years. It is almost like they admit they know the PC is better.
I can see the next commercial now. Here is a guy setting up a PC (struggling with wires and looks frustrated.) Here is a guy on a MAC (Smiling and carrying on with his computer) Now here is a PC on MAC. Contradicts itself doesn't it. finally they made a dumb enough move that will make them go away. When a PC user has a choice to put MAC on his PC do you really think that more than 5% will do so? The limited software library will still be a problem.
So go ahead MAC and make yourself look like a fool. You must have just changed management or something. I would fire anyone that would even suggest an Idea as suicidal as this one. But don't worry MAC as long as Bill Gates stays in the business you will get his money that keeps you alive. But when he retires or dies you will go with him. Microsoft will then split up and we will see better OS for the PC. MAC Os on a PC, Man that makes my tummy hurt from all the laughing.
-Del

@ Ice cool
The answear to your question is yes. You will be able to run future MAC OS release on any PC. Here is an article thats give more details on what is going on. I aslo read an article about Microsoft losing lawsuite for $9 million over the software that lets Access and Excell merge.
Any way here is the suicidal Mac article that gives more details. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8109913/ . I hope the link continues to work for awhile.
-Del

OSX will only run on Apple Mac hardware (IBM, Freescale, Intel or whatever processor is inside).
If you want to get the right information get it from the original source and not from 3rd parties.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc05/

Apple will not allow their OS to run on just any PC. It will be restricted probably by ROM's on the motherboard, and proprietary hardware other than the chip. If you remember Windows NT 4.0 had the option to run on Alpha, MIPS, x86 and PowerPC, but you couldn't load it on a MAC because of the architecture. The Amiga and Apple both used Motorola 68x chips, but because of the Apple ROM's you couldn't run Amiga on the MAC. Apple wants to sell their hardware, I'm not saying someone won't hack it to make it work. I'm sure that they will.
Macs are stable because of the fact that the hardware and software are tightly integrated. Boot with your OS install CD answer a few questions and walk away for half an hour and when you come back your Mac OS (8,9 or OS X) is loaded. No drivers to download no configuration hassles, done.
I work in IT for a large company and even our brand new Dells if you were to do a clean install with the XP cd would require you to find and/or load drivers for the separate components (video, sound, network, etc). Because XP is built to run on such a large variety of equipment it is at the mercy of drivers from other company's which can make a system unstable. Some of XP's stability issues are not the OS but some of the questionable peripherals and components installed in the machines.
Just because Apple has chosen Intel for their processor does not necessarily mean it will be standard PC guts inside.

They removed something from that link I posted. At the very end it used to say that MAC will make a version of their OS (Not X the next one) that will run on any PC. Then there was a poll that asked if you would try MAC OS on a PC. I know it was there the poll it was taking showed that many people would be willing to try a MAC OS on a PC.
@ 47ronin
I to am in the IT field. I do not run across MAC very often. May one MAC a year. Anyway just wanted to say that DELL on the mid to low end is a very unstable computer. Same with Gateway systems. Cheaply built homegrown computers are also unstable. I have run across many lock up problems with those set ups.
However if the PC is put together with good parts and windows set up correctly you should never have a problem. I have built computers (PCs) to be used as servers in companies. Those servers I built will run from 6 months to a year without a reboot. They do not lock up and cause problems. The only reason they come down in that 6 months to a year is because I service them then and I reboot the machine. The people that insist on using the crappy Dells and Gateways as a server will have a reboot command in the scheduled tasks.
Sum up time. You can't base the entire PC hardware on a few bad Dells or Gateways, They suck anyway. It’s all in how you build them and service them. Home grown PC tend to be the most stable if you use good parts. Heck this PC I'm typing on now has been on for 3 months strait and still going strong.
-Del

It would seem to me that Apple would be far more succesful to allow OS X to run on any PC, Then they could compete with Microsoft Straight up And sell thier OS to anyone... This Would be some real Money for Apple because I think everyone would probably buy it and have a multiple boot system.....I can see it now! Microsoft Sues Apple for some reason.... I wonder what Microsoft's thinking?

Another Thought......Suppose that Apple does make thier OS run on any computer...and it turns out to be better than Windows...., The whole World loves it But it runs better on a MAC than a regular PC for Some unknown reason.....maybe I should invest in APPLE...?

Just thinking about your comment, Rarthurb. Yes it would be good to see some potential deadly competition for Windows. Interesting things would happen though. Apple would be smart not to make the next OS run on any PC. If apple did that then there would no longer be a Monopoly threat for Microsoft. They would have legitimate Competition.
That would be a bad move for Apple. Worse than this one. If Apple made an OS for any PC then Gates can safely stop giving money to Apple. In turn Apple will lose Millions since gates would no longer have the Monopoly. We all know, unless you hide in a closet, that the only reason Apple is till around is due to Gates forced donations to Apple. If Apple dies then Microsoft has a Monopoly in many areas and would be legally forced to split up. Gates needs Apple to survive or his company will die.
-Del

The Moto Chips were not fast enough and IBM sees apple the way most pc owners do, so that means intel or amd, everyone i Know, friend or co worker, is replacing or has already replaced the old home pc with a laptop, and with dvd recorders with hardrives droping below $350 and hd TV's with wi fi, and lets not forget 4gb palms, the home media center pc $2000 isnt looking so good, so what apple needs is a osx centrino with the 64 bit processing already supported by osx, and for me who runs a pc box, mac powerbook, and linux sony laptop, I may finaly have the best of all worlds in one book, or my dream, palm size package.

Here is an article that may clear up a few things for those who don't know much about Apples in genereal or are just confused by the conflicting info:
http://www.macworld.com/2005/06/features/intelfaq/index.php?lsrc=mwrss
Key points:
Intel Apples should be able to run windows, but it won't be supported
OS X WILL NOT run on a PC right out of the box. Someone will surely hack it if only to say they did it.

@ AtrophyG4
Your kind of right about OS X not running on a PC out of the box. There is an emulator you can get for a PC. The emulator will emulate a MAC machine. You can then go get the retail version of os X and install it strait onto you computer, Whithin the emulator of couse. Sorry but I can not remember the name of the emulator. I know it is out there though. The emulator is free.
-Del

That is the same as Virtual PC for the Mac. Emulators are one thing, but with an Intel based machine there will be no need for Virtual PC or any other emulator. You will be able to dual boot any Windows you see fit, although you can expect no help from Apple to make it work. This is a good thing as there are some programs that people are forced to use.
As far as putting X on a Dell, Gateway or any other Windows based machine, emulators will be the only option for PC users. There will not be a version of OS X on a non Apple computer. Apple is a company who makes money off their hardware. If they start handing out their OS then they will no longer make money. They use their hardware sales to fund the OS X project.
That is not to say that someone who obtains a copy of OS X based on the Intel structure will not be able to put it on their PC. It will just be a long, painful process that may not yeild the results that make it worthwhile.

Wow for me this is really unexpected news!
I can't believe that after so long the "PowerPC partnership" of IBM/Motorola/Apple would dissolve!
I don't own a G5, but the store models seem damn fast, which makes me wonder what the point is of an Intel CPU. What are the advantages? Supply would be better, speed might not be so much greater I thought as last time I checked intel made 32bit CPUs (maybe they make 64bit now so the switch would be easier) I'm certain that AMD make 64bit CPUs so they should have been in with a chance. I just don't think I can handle "intel inside" stickers, or that intel jingle associated with the mac. It's sort of the end of an era, Jobs is saying "the mac you should love now is the OS, the machine itself doesn't matter and basically we don't want any more embarrasing delays in supply"
I'm all for getting the macs out the masses, but I am still a bit stunned from this development. Long live OSX, for that and a pretty apple designed box is our future.